


The Crown's Quest

by leirabeans



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Competition-Set Fic, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, M/M, Romance, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:14:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21738931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leirabeans/pseuds/leirabeans
Summary: The Crown's Quest is a competition, a quest fit only for the strongest and the bravest. An old tradition to determine who the Consort of the Crown Heir would be. One day, Crown Prince Jeonghan of Coronias finds himself embroiled in a twisted game of courts and magic.Nine Houses. Six Lords. One Prince. One Crown.Let the Crown's Quest Begin...Long Live the Future Queen.May he survive the evil that lurked within...
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Chwe Hansol | Vernon, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Yoon Jeonghan, Kim Mingyu/Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	1. Ouverture

**Author's Note:**

> this will be slowly updated :( you have been warned...

**Sun City:**

Crown Prince Jeonghan Drache of Coronias stared at the ceiling of his chambers. He could feel the warm yet stale air on his skin. Despite what he wore - beige undergarments and a golden silk robe-, he was slightly perspiring. He let the smell of vanilla candle flood his senses and concentrated on that instead. The weather in Sun City had always been hot and humid throughout the entire year. At least once a month, the rainbringer of House Stormreign would call upon his Blessing and rain would pour in the Sun City for a week. Unfortunately, that week had just passed and had left even more saturated air behind.

He extended his hand towards the ceiling, the gesture causing his sleeves to fall and to expose his pearl bracelet. He had always worn the piece of jewelry. No matter what ballgown he wore, no matter where he was, no matter what he was doing, his mother had forced his to wear the bracelet. All because he was an abomination, an Oblivious: having noble blood running through his veins yet no Blessing Bestowed upon by the Creator. He often wondered why he was born that way. Perhaps his mother had angered the Creator in some way and in turn, the Creator had abandoned him when he was born. This, however, was almost impossible because his mother was the embodiment of what it meant to be a Queen- generous, gentle, and proper. Or perhaps he was adopted, though that was highly unlikely either. If the King and Queen of Coronias were to adopt, they would have picked an Alpha boy to carry on the crown.

Jeonghan sighed. There were nights like this when he simply could not sleep, when his mind wandered in aimless loops. Lately, they became more frequent. No amount of tea or books helped. He just ended up lying on bed, asking questions after questions arriving to no answers at all. He could call his personal guard, Sir Siwon. He could bully the man to let him take a walk in the gardens in the middle of night. He could ask questions and perhaps he would give him answers or just reassurances. He could practice mimicking his Blessing again. He sighed, dismissing the thought immediately. This idea of his would cause the man to lose precious sleep again and the time of other guards as well, should he think it necessary for more to accompany him. There was no risk anyways, why did they bother so much with security?

There was a gentle knock on the door. Jeonghan could not help but to bolt upright. A head wedged in between the doors, "Are you awake?" A familiar voice asked.

"Yes, come in" he shrugged, hugging the robe closer to his body out of habit. The boy walked in and closed the door behind him. He was almost as tall as his despite being 2 years younger. Every time he saw Hansol, he could not help but notice the striking differences between him and his brother. While his hair was the color of snow, Jeonghan’s was the color of midnight sky. While his eyes were that of dull sapphire, Jeonghan’s were that of polished amber. While Hansol walked with lanky awkwardness, he moved with trained gracefulness. There only similarity was that they were only loved by one of their parents. Jeonghan by their father, Hansol by their mother.

"You won't believe what I just overheard while walking into the kitchen!" Hansol's eyes were glittering as he bounced on to the end of his bed. He was clearly excited, and Hansol was only excited by one thing: new information.

"Why were you going to the kitchen at this hour?" Jeonghan was sidetracked. His brother was well-loved by the servants to the point that he feared that they were spoiling him. Somehow, it had irritated him. Of course, it had nothing to do with the fact that the servants should love their future monarch: Jeonghan, not the young prince, Hansol- or at least that's what Jeonghan told himself.

"Look, you're doing it again! Focusing on the details rather than the bigger picture!" Hansol ran his hands through his long, unkempt platinum blonde hair, exasperated.

"Yes, but so are you -avoiding my question- as always." He rolled his eyes.

"That's not very queenly of you to roll your eyes at your royal subjects."

"When I am Queen, I can do whatever I want and that will be queenly." He snapped, how he hated being called unqueenly!

Queen Caitlyn Icarus had always said that Jeonghan did not and would _never_ possess the grace of a Queen. His mother had redefined what being a Queen meant with his regal ways and everyone agreed that Jeonghan would not be able to follow his mother's steps. As soon as Jeonghan was recognized to be an _omega_ by the royal seer, he had been delegated to Queenship rather than Kingship. As an omega child, he often looked up to his mother, even though she never spared him any attention the moment that there were no watching eyes. When Jeonghan had shown preference to riding his horse rather than enjoying tea with the other ladies and omegas, the other lords and ladies in his court often told him that as he grows up, he would become more like his mother. But then, Jeonghan grew up… and their tolerating looks had turned into hopeless shrugs. It wasn’t the fact that the crown prince was an omega that was the problem. It was his preference for things and activities that were atypical of other omegas. At seventeen years of age, he had become a disappointment. Unable to live up to expectations, forever a shadow of his majestic mother.

But Jeonghan would not just be a Queen, he would be the Ruler... Not his husband, but himself. That was the big difference between him and his mother; and he comforted himself with the fact that despite being an omega, he will not be his husband's shadow. He will be the Queen, the Monarch himself.

"Well, I sure hope your husband would agree with that" Hansol teased him.

"My husband will agree with whatever I say." He finished acidly; he was getting tired of this conversation. He liked bantering with Hansol, but not tonight. He would rather practice mimicry with Sir Siwon.

"Not if father chooses your husband." Hansol proclaimed victoriously.

"Excuse me?" Jeonghan raised an eyebrow, "do tell me what you overheard, Hansol."

"What's the magic word?" He taunted, a carefree grin on his face.

"Spill or I will get you impaled and dragged on the streets." He threatened as firmly as he could. These words would have scared the lives out of anyone, but not his brother. He knew Jeonghan loved him too much for such threats to come true.

"Threatening your opponents with such vile imagery is very unqueenly, Jeonghan." He wiggled a finger, unperturbed. Jeonghan reached towards his brother to bite his finger out of spite. Hansol ducked instantly and chuckled. "I overheard father sending out messengers for all the High Lords to have an assembly with the council six nights from now."

"What for? Is there any big problem in the realm?" He had suddenly become very interested to Hansol's next words, raw alarm flaring inside him.

Coronias was a fairly big kingdom; it contained ten Lands, three of which his father directly governed. After his father had overthrown the Delphine Dynasty sixteen years ago, he had claimed their Land, Misthaven, and created the Tall Gates to further isolate it. The other two Lands, which were located at the farthest West, and were governed directly by House Drache, were at least six days of travel from the Sun City. The farthest Lands which were ungoverned directly by his father but were still under his rule, Celestine and Whisperfalls, were at least five nights of travel to reach the Sun City. What could possibly be the reason for the King to ask the High Lords to abandon their Lands and come to the Sun City? With such urgency too, demanding to see them in six nights only?

As far as he knew from the council meetings, there had been no substantial uprising in the Free Cages that would be alarming enough for all the Lords to confer. There were small rebellions from the poorer citizens of the Kingdom and slaves in the Free Caves every now and then, but all of them could be quelled by the forces in Whisperfalls alone. There had been neither imminent food shortages reported by House Monteverde nor natural disasters that could not be prevented by House Stormreign. House Aegis had not sighted any attacks at bay from the Outer Realms either. Most importantly, there had been no divine omens from the Sacred Land. If the realm's stability was confirmed, what could possibly be so important for such an urgent meeting?

"To confer about your upcoming wedding!" Hansol shrugged, stating as a matter of fact.

Jeonghan gawked at his brother momentarily, uncertain whether to laugh or to feign surprise. Hansol’s joke was so irrational, Jeonghan was torn on how to react.

"Get out Hansol, you come here to disturb me just to make a fool out of me!" He dismissed his brother with a wave and laid back on his enormous bed.

He was only seventeen years of age. His father had once promised his that he would only need a betrothal when he had reached twenty-one years of age, if the council forced the royal family to do so. More importantly, he did not need one. The Absolute Law stated that he could ascend to the throne after eighteen years of age, should the King wish to do so or should the need arise, regardless of his marital status. In other terms, Jeonghan neither needed a man to rule by his side nor needed to have one so he can ascend to the throne. He could be a Queen and then look for a Royal Consort should he wish to have one or should the council force him to when the time comes. The Law did not even state that he needed to be married to have his offspring ratified as his rightful Heir.

"But it's true! I heard mother telling the King that perhaps it's best to have the Quest after all." Hansol insisted, furious at his sister’s disbelief.

"Mother wants to have the Crown's Quest?" He bolted upright for the second time tonight. Hansol had to be bluffing... Or perhaps, his mother truly hated him so much to influence his father to hold the Crown's Quest?

The Crown's Quest was an old tradition of Coronias, one that had not been hold for the past centuries after House Delphine monopolized the throne. The Crown's Quest was a competition, a quest fit only for the strongest to survive, to determine who the Consort of the Crown Heir would be.

Jeonghan always thought Quest was not only surreal but also overly dramatic. For one, the Delphine Dynasty practiced mainly inbreeding and thereby rendered the Quest extinct for the past two centuries. Moreover, the Quest had always seemed like a useless talent show to his. The Quest, after all, allowed the royal family to witness and to measure the strength of the potential Consort' mind, will, and most importantly, Blessing.

The Law stated that no Coronian noble may call upon their Blessing, except in their own Land or upon the King’s request. The Crown's Quest was, however, the only exception to the Laws. Each House had a certain Blessing Bestowed upon them by the Creator. The noble blood contained a fragment of the Blessing Bestowed and in turn, each child will have a specific Blessing that was of natured of the Blessing Bestowed to the House.

House Drache, the House of his father, for example, had the Blessing Bestowed of pyromania. House Icarus, the House of his mother, had the Blessing Bestowed of creation and wisdom. As a result, his father could manipulate fire while his mother was a clever scholar, always solving the problems of the state. Hansol, on the other hand, could control and create smoke. Jeonghan, however, was an Oblivious.

Despite having noble blood, he did not possess any Blessing at all: a secret that the royal family had been hiding for the past sixteen years.

A part of him could not shrug off the idea that perhaps it was this secret that forced the King to hold the Crown's Quest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *just to clarify: Jeonghan is the crown prince but because he is an omega... he will be crowned Queen, not king.


	2. Crescendo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> meet the alphas.

**Free Cages**

Jisoo once dreamt of a fantasy called freedom. Twenty years ago, there were four social statuses: the Delphines, the nobles, the merchants, and the slaves. House Drache proceeded to defeat House Delphine with the help of the other seven houses, and later reformed and stabilized the kingdom. Two years later, King Aurelius Drache had created additional clauses in the Absolute Law stating something along the lines of ‘slaves being able to earn their freedom from their masters’. Jisoo had earned his so-called freedom about three years ago, when he was eighteen years of age. Ten years of servitude to the Elendiels of House Aegis in the Strongarms.

Now that he had freedom within his grasp, how he wished that he was enslaved instead. Ironic, you could say. Was it because enslavement was better than poverty? Was it better to be a slave, to have a master ensuring that you were fed and clothed, regardless of the amount or quality of food or clothes you possessed rather than to die out of starvation as a "free man"?

No, not at all. He would rather die a free man than bear the cane of Stephen Elendiel again. The old man liked to pretend that he was a part of High House Aegis, when he was, in reality, related to them so far that he had such diluted noble blood that his family bore no Blessing at all. Though, he did, unfortunately, retain some connection and wealth to the High House Aegis.

Instead, Jisoo would rather choose enslavement than freedom because today, as a free man, he was all alone. Jihoon, his younger brother and only family left, was in Strongarms, working as a slave for the High House Aegis itself. Their father, a vile creature, who breathed cigarettes and bled alcohol, was a failed merchant who sold his sons as slaves during the Delphine Dynasty. He just _had_ to sell Jisoo's brother to the High House Aegis, didn't he?

As a result, Jisoo worked day and night in the Free Cages for whatever work he could muster in order earn enough Coronas to buy his brother's freedom. Three years later, and he had barely saved enough to even secure a fifth of the amount he needed to free his brother. Three years of tireless work, stale bread, and tattered clothing. At times like this, he wished he was also a slave. A slave in the House Aegis… at least he would have been with his brother.

"CANDY!!!" A high-pitched voice broke him from his reverie. He returned to reality, wherein he was currently working as part-time seller in a sweets stall in the south of Free Cages. A Carnival was apparently arriving tonight and the fat merchant who owned the stall thought himself smart to position the stall close to the Carnival. The man, despite his baldness, seemed to be of high intelligence for Jisoo had been occupied for the past three hours.

"Which one?" He smiled amiably at the child who appeared to be a son of merchant, judging from his clean yet intricate tunic. The boy, barely six years of age, looked up at Jisoo and smiled. "How many can I buy with this much coins?" The precious little angel asked and gave Jisoo a heavy coin pouch, his blonde curly hair lying messily on his head, brown eyes wide with such beautiful innocence, plump cheeks red.

Jisoo expected to find a lot of small Diademas, worth one fourth of a Corona. Yet he was flustered as he opened the bag to find more than enough Coronas to buy all the candies in the stall. He immediately looked back at the child. The boy was staring at the candies, his finger inside his mouth, obviously deciding which ones he can buy. Where did this kid get this money from? Jisoo could give the boy all the candies in the stall and his coins would still be excessive. He felt guilty if he were to just gave the boy all the candies, as if he were robbing the boy. So instead, he addressed the boy, "Where did you get all this coins from, little man?"

The boy averted his gaze from the candy to Jisoo and pointed at the carnival. Did he steal it from someone from the Carnival? Did he win it perhaps? Jisoo runs his fingers through his golden hair, what was he supposed to do?

The boy suddenly clapped his hand together and made an O shape with his lips, "I almost forgot! The man with the cloak from the Carnival said I can get candies from you if I give you the pouch and you come to him!"

"What? A man with a cloak? Come to him?" He could not help but be absolutely confused. What was this boy talking about?

The young cherub nodded solemnly, smiling proudly at himself for remembering such a thing. "There is a man with a blue cloak. He said candyman has to see him. You are candyman!" The boy pointed at Jisoo, then to the pouch in Jisoo's hand, then to the lollipops, "can the coins get me two of these?" He begged with a puppy smile.

Jisoo looked at the child, unsure, as he professed, "Little boy, this whole cart is yours."

**Lireo**

Young Lord Mingyu Stormreign awoke from the light that pierced his eyes. He shuffled on his bed, turning his body from lying on his stomach to his side and tried to shield some light away from his eyes with his hand.

"Wake up, sleepyhead." A feminine voice whispered alluringly as he joined him on his bed. Mingyu focused on the source of the voice.

She was a few years older than him, two or three. Her messy long brown hair fell around her pretty face and covered one of her breasts while the other was exposed to Mingyu. He forgot the girl's name or how they ended up on his bed. The girl was not remarkably pretty but her body was to be admired, adored even. It was full where it had to be, and curvy where he wanted it to be. He might had forgotten who she was but he had not forgotten how the young lady worshipped his body last night. She was about to say something else, perhaps reprimand Mingyu for his none existent gentleman manners when Mingyu enclosed her puckered nipple aroundhis lips. He sucked. Hard. She arched his back and moaned loudly.

The doors flew open and both of them jumped away from each other. In front of them was Lord Warren Stormreign in his black military suit with a purple sash. Black and purple, the colors of House Stormreign. His father glared at the couple in front of him. His head was bald, his beer belly protruding, his green eyes darkened and Mingyu could swear that the sunlight disappeared instantly.

In front of one of the strongest rainbringers was his eldest son, seventeen years old Young Lord Mingyu Stormreign lying beside a naked brunette, another one that he would need to take care of. His son stared at him, surprise painting his handsome features. His golden hair fell up to his ears, tousled and evident of a fruitful night. His son's green eyes, which were identical to his, studied him, measuring how much trouble he was in. The boy was classically handsome, from a powerful and wealthy House, and possessed a very unique Blessing. This boy, his son, should be the King Consort of the Kingdom.

Yet he had not attended his royal lessons. He was too accustomed to using his Blessing and refused to practice his swordsmanship. He cannot participate in balls without ending up on his bed with one of the ladies or servants or courtesans. This boy, if he were not his son, should not be the King Consort at all for he neither has the knowledge nor the characteristics of a King.

Lord Warren was frustrated with his son's shortcomings. "Get out!" He bellowed to the girl, Great! Now he had to take care of that child too. The young lady scrambled out of bed quickly, trying to pull the blanket off of his son to cover his naked body,

His son, however, strongly held onto the blanket and smirked at the girl. He was prompting his to leave... Naked, in front of everyone. His son was not only unworthy of being called a King, but he was also an arsehole. "Ask the servants for some clothes, young lady and wait in the receiving hall, I shall deal you with in a moment." He briefly addressed his son's former amusement, voice defeated and exasperated. He would need to stop the young man's undignified entertainments and promiscuity. He could not risk to have the rumors (although they were actually truths) to reach the King. No one would wish to have such a lewd King Consort.

The young lady blushed furiously, stood up immediately and tried to cover her ample chest and rosy crotch with her hands as she fled. As soon as she left the room, the furious Lord turned to his son. "Please tell me you were careful enough not to impregnate that girl!"

His son shrugged, "Even if I did, she wouldn't be able to bear my child anyways." So that meant that his son was indeed not careful last night. It also meant that the girl was of no nobleblood.

Because of the Blessing Bestowed upon the noble Houses, only those who had noble blood can sustain the life of another noble inside them. If a man (or woman) of no noble blood were unfortunate enough to be able to carry a child, he would most likely not be able to live long enough for himself and his child. _Most likely._

In extremely rare instances, he might be able to carry the child. If he were able to do so, however, the childbirth would kill him. The child, a half-blood, would also be immediately killed as stated in the Absolute Law. A half-blood would be treason to the Creator, an Abomination far greater than an Oblivious.

The Lord pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated. The girl would have to stay in Keep Stormreign for a couple of weeks to ensure that she was not pregnant. The Carbon Potion, which would immediately cause the loss of any potential child with noble blood, would not arrive until three weeks later. By then, Mingyu must be as polished and as perfect as any potential King Consort and could thereby not risk any rumors of a child out of wedlock. Of course, if he could only get the Carbon Potion illegally...

"Why are you here, Father? At such an early time?" Mingyu asked, putting his silky blue robes on as he stood up. His father's mood had alleviated, that much was obvious from the sky outside: the rain clouds, which threatened to bring rain a few moments ago, were beginning to disperse.

He watched as his father wiped his bald head with a thick handkerchief. Truly, how could such a handsome young lord, himself, come from the blobby old mess that his father was? Apart from the hue of their eyes, he had no other similarities with his father. This man had an aura of abruptness around him, as if he was always late for a meeting. His moods swung from one extreme to another, and could always be observed from how he manipulated the weather outside. While his father lacked grace and depth, Mingyu moved with regal confidence, spoke with smooth eloquence, and most importantly, lied with no difficulty at all. He was, in his own opinion, born for Court politics, not warfare and stability as his father was and would have liked him to be.

"I am leaving immediately to travel for the Golden Palace." His father proclaimed. Now, that would explain why his father was in his chambers so early. He brought good news! Without his father, he would be in charge. He could organize another ball tonight and could ask his brother, Castielle, and his uncle, Lord Carrick, to deal with the boring logistics and such pertaining to the Land. He started compiling a guest list in his mind: only the most eligible bachelors and bachelorette-

"Why are you still standing around? We are leaving in an hour!" His father ordered promptly, motioning to his butler, Sebastian, to quickly begin preparing his luggage.

"Wait? What? We? Why am I going to the Sun City with you?" He demanded. His father often visited the Sun City; he was, afterall, one of the members of the Council and one of the closest friends of the King. Yet his father had not asked him to accompany him for the past five years. That was the last time he has been to the Golden Palace.

"The King needs to meet with all of the Lords of the High Houses, boy. Not a Council meeting, this must mean something important!" His father radiated excitement. "The Kingdom has been doing very well. There is no bad news that's bad enough for him to call all of us. Thus, it must be good news!"

Good news? What good news required the presence of all the Heads of High Houses? Except, it might be... "Why am I coming then?" He folded his arms. Mingyu was not a brat; he just liked to annoy his father. He didn't dislike his father either. He simply did it because his father always gave the best reactions to his "pranks". This time, however, Mingyu would put his foot down. Marrying the crown prince was an absolute _no_.

"Oh boy, you haven't seen the Crown Prince in five years! I believe it is time for you to reconnect!" His father clapped his hands together, theatrically.

Mingyu groaned internally; he was right. It was about the Crown Prince' betrothal. Perhaps the King had finally chosen the future King Consort and decided to announce it to the High Lords first. If that were the case, then there was a chance that it might be him. They were one of House Drache's closest allies after all.

"I doubt the Crown Prince would be happy to see me." He rolled his eyes. Under the circumstances, Jeonghan would probably kick him in the shin if he were to accompany his father to the Golden Palace. Not after what happened the last time he visited...

**Strongarms**

"Do not fail me." Lord Alexander Aegis ordered his son. He wore his white war breastplate with pride and dignity. His armor was not necessarily made for war, but more for appearance. White with intricate design of deep red, their House colors. From afar, he looked like he had slayed a hundred men so skillfully and painted his white armor with their blood. He wore the white helmet as an ornament, holding it in his right arm. His long, massive sword on his left.

That was the last time young Lord Seungcheol Aegis saw his father. It had been three moons since he had left for the Golden Palace. His father was the General of the realm, controlling its massive army. Despite the fact that the kingdom had been in peace for the past two decades after the fall of the Delphine Dynasty, his father often stayed in the Sun City with the King. He saw his father less and less as he grew up.

To Seungcheol, his father was just a figure.

Not really a man, not really a father.

Just a figure.

Someone he had to please. Someone he had to live up to.

There was a brief knock on the door. He looked up from the papers about the taxes from the merchants, and found Jihoon looking anxious. "What is it?" Seungcheol asked calmly, removing his reading spectacles.

"My lord, I... I cannot find Lady Seohee" the slave stuttered. The boy in front of Seungcheol was around sixteen years of age. He was a slave their mother had bought after seeing the boy's eyes. His mother had claimed that the boy's eyes were once different colors: one was purple and the other was black. It must have been an illusion of the light, however, for the boy's eyes were now dull brown. He was tall and more dashing than the other nobles. Unfortunately attractive perhaps, because he had been reduced to nothing but his sister's, Lady Seohee's plaything.

"Where did you lose her?" He asked nonchalantly, averting his attention back to the tax papers. His sister missing was not something to be concerned about. It happened frequently enough. While he grew up with the burden of managing the affairs of their land, Strongarms, with his father gone most of the time, his sister grew up in his bubble of fluff: with ball gowns and gossips, with no worries except for how she would waste her time tomorrow. He dared not to burst it for the fear that his mother would dislike him any further. One day it would be his sister missing, another would be his sister holding a ball out of the blue. His sister, in essence, was the only entertainment in the dull city of Strongarms. And he loved her. Everybody loved her despite her whimsical personality.

Except, perhaps the boy who stood in front of him.

"In the... In the Free Cages, my lord." The boy's voice was barely a whisper.

This, immediately, caught Seungcheol' attention. "What do you mean Free Cages? Holy Creator, why would you two be in Free Cages?" His voice was deadly quiet, anger boiling underneath. The Free Cages was a dangerous place to High Nobilities, and it would take an entire day riding to reach the Free Cages!

The boy kept his eyes down, not daring to meet Seungcheol' stare. "My Lady heard about a Carnival arriving to the Free Cages, my Lord. She immediately rode with two soldiers, her Steward and Lady Hyena of House Icarus. They left yesterday and had not returned since."

That explained why the boy was bringing him the news and not Seohee's steward. "Why are you not with her?" He pressed, standing up and calling out to the guards outside. Seohee brought the boy everywhere, including her bed. Why would he travel to the Free Cages without him?

"I was in the dungeons, my Lord. The Lady punished me to stay there for two nights." The boy murmured. Seungcheol sighed, the boy rightfully deserved his freedom for dealing with Seohee after all thess years. He placed an arm on the boy's shoulder and ordered, "We leave in the afternoon with a dozen guards for the Free Cages."

Night fell earlier in Strongarms. The company of a dozen men, the boy, and Lord Seungcheol travelled until the border between Whisperfalls and Strongarms. They made camp close to the gate. By tomorrow afternoon, they would reach the Free Gates. Seungcheol laid on his cot in his spacious tent. His men insisted he lie on a bed during the night, but he knew that it would make no difference and would only take more of their time to pack up tomorrow. He draped his arm on his eyes, worried to a certain extent. He knew that he need not to accompany the men to search for Seohee. She might have had simply decided to stay in the Free Cages for longer than expected and forbade her Steward to send a messenger to Keep Aegis. Maybe not forbade, maybe she kept him busy enough to have the time to write a letter.

Besides, Seohee could protect herself. Her Blessing would have been enough to keep his safe. Lady Hyena was also with her. If Seungcheol remembered correctly, Hyena had an innate sense of direction and could maneuver anywhere should trouble arise. Yet why was there a heavy feeling in his stomach that had prompted him to come himself to the Free Cages?

There was a slight knock in the door of the tent. "Come in." He instructed, sitting upright. The boy entered, holding a tray of chamomile tea. The heavenly scent enveloped the room.

"What is it boy? I did not ask for evening tea." He prompted.

The boy stood in front of him meekly, "I would like to apologize to you, my Lord. Perhaps if I were with Lady Seohee, there would be no need for any of this".

Ahhh... Seungcheol wanted to stand, grab the hot tea and pour it over himself. How could this boy even apologize to him? After all the heinous ways Seohee had treated the boy, the boy should have been rejoicing that she was gone!

Holy Creator, the entire household had treated this boy callously and yet here he was, apologizing to him. The servants had distanced themselves from the boy for fear of punishment from Seohee. His mother, feeling cheated for buying the boy, allowed her diabolical daughter to do as she pleased with him. Seungcheol, himself, had turned a blind eye and treated the boy coldly. He shook his head, perhaps tonight he can...

"Are my men still outside around the campfire, boy?" He asked.

"No, my Lord." Jihoon responded.

"Very well, grab your own tea and join me near the campfire."

A few moments later, Seungcheol found himself sitting beside the boy on the logs near the campfire. The camp had long gone to sleep and he sipped his tea in peace. "Tell me the truth, would you be glad if we do not find my sister tomorrow?"

"Glad, my Lord?" The boy muttered, surprised by his question.

"She treats her puppies better than she treats you..." He stated, trying to sound as artic and detached as he could despite the shame that crushed him.

"I deserve that treatment, my Lord." The boy answered almost automatically. Seohee had beaten the boy to such an extent of compliance, Seungcheol feared that the boy actually believed that he was Seohee's property.

"You cannot possibly believe that to be true, Jihoon." He turned and gazed at the boy, calling him his name after a long while. In Seungcheol' mind, if he kept referring to Jihoon as the boy rather than Jihoon, the person... He would feel less guilty for allowing his sister to enslave the boy. If he saw him less of a person and more of a tool, he could justify his ignorance of Seohee's malevolence towards the boy.

The boy stared at Seungcheol, daring to meet his eyes for the first time.

"No, no… I do not." His reply was barely audible. As Seungcheol gazed into the boy's eyes, he swore one of them turned purple in front of the fire.

The boy immediately looked away and added, "Lady Seohee can be... overwhelming sometimes."  
Overwhelming was such an understatement. The girl was sometimes as whimsical as an unstable horse. "He loves you, you know..." Seungcheol began, looking away and towards the flames as he continued, "My father was never there for both of us. I was never there for her either, because I had to be there for Strongarms. Our mother is too caught up in her glamor and fading beauty. But you?" He turned to face the boy once again. "You have always been there for her. That's why she treats you that way. Some days, she showers you with gifts. Other days, she punishes you. I fear that those punishments should not be yours though. I fear that those punishments are for us. For abandoning her. But instead, she releases it on you. Because she knows you won't leave her. Or perhaps, she punishes you to see if you will still stay with her afterwards..."

"But my lord, I can't leave." The boy looked down to his lap. He was, after all, a slave.

"You know that's why Seohee placed such a high price on you… She doesn't want you to leave."

"But she punishes me, my Lord. If she doesn't want me to leave, why do all of that?" The boy presses, genuinely perplexed.

Seungcheol could not help but wish to speak more. He had always been thinking but never speaking. It felt refreshing to be able to finally speak his mind.

"I don't think she understands herself, Jihoon. She's still a child behind all her show." _Like me..._ he had wanted to add. The boy seemed to be absorbing all of these, as he quietly sipped his tea.

"Why did she throw you in the dungeons this time?" If Seungcheol could remember correctly, it had been more than a year since Seohee imprisoned the boy because he would not take her chastity: rightfully so, if she asked anyone. Seungcheol remembered the aftermath of the event. Seohee was forced to stay in her chambers for three moons without any male visitor; not even the boy.

The boy was quiet for a long time, perhaps deciding if he should answer Seungcheol. Finally, he replied quietly, "She was having luncheon with several of her friends, my Lord. They were talking about puppies, I believe. Lady Seohee, she..." He sighed, "she asked me to wear a collar around my neck, walk on fours, so I can be her dog, my lord. In front of her friends.”

Seungcheol felt repulsed by his sister's action but the boy, apparently, was not finished.

"You see, I didn't mind my Lord. Lady Seohee had asked me to do worse things in her chambers." The boy shook his head as if to remove the obscene images. "But one of the ladies asked me to remove my clothes. Lady Seohee quickly rebuffed her and ended the luncheon. She ordered me to come to her chambers at once." So if that were not the reason for his punishment, what could it be?

"You see, my Lord, the Lady who asked, I shall not name her, but she is very pretty."

Lady Hyena then, Seungcheol knew instantly.

"And my body reacted to her suggestion, instinctively. Lady Seohee noticed and she became angry at me. Very angry." He explained, sipping his tea before he concluded, "One thing led to another and I was thrown into the dungeons."

It was jealousy then. His sister's jealousy that imprisoned the boy. But if it were jealousy, why did Seohee bring Hyena, out of all the people, to the Carnival? _Unless..._

"Jihoon, you didn't come to me because he was missing. He's always missing, anyways. You came to me because she's missing… With Lady Hyena!" He stared at the boy, understanding flooding him instantly.

"Yes, my lord. I fear that Lady Seohee might do something bad to lady Hyena, a woman of a High House Icarus. Something so bad… that this time, that she cannot redeem herself." Jihoon's voice was weak, defeated.

Seungcheol shot to his feet, "Wake up our men. We are leaving immediately."

 _And after we find Seohee, I am going to free you Jihoon_... Seungcheol added in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to keep the western names for the elderly in this series. That way, you know that they're not very significant.
> 
> Kingdoms-Houses as we go along:  
> Sun City- House Drache: Jeonghan and Hansol  
> Free Cages- Slaves, Merchants, and Free Men:  
> Lireo- House Stormreign: Mingyu  
> Strongarms- House Aegis: Seungcheol

**Author's Note:**

> well, wouldn't you look at that. I opened my WP after 5 years and found this original work rotting. So here we are, in a royal romantic journey in a magical unknown kingdom. tags and characters will be added as the work progresses.


End file.
